MADISON - The Lady Cheesemakers have made strides to shed their "young" label all season long. Friday afternoon, they added eons of experience by holding off athletic Altoona, 49-47, in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinal at the Alliant Energy Center.
Monroe sprinted out to a 12-1 lead through the first seven minutes of the ballgame and even led 35-16 after the first of two Jamie Armstrong 3s with 5:18 to play in the third before the Railroaders finally got on track.
After nearly two-and-a-half quarters of uncharacteristic stone-cold shooting, Altoona's 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore Kate Hanson answered a 3-point bomb by Armstrong with a trey of her own from just to the right of the circle.
After Railroaders junior Brittany Gregorich, who finished 5-for-20 from the field, finally cut cord with her only 3-pointer from the right angle, her sister Tiffany, a senior captain, followed suit off a reload to cut the deficit to 10 at 35-25 with a minute left in the third.
"We just kept shooting, that's all you can do," Tiffany Gregorich said. "If you don't take the shot, you'll never know. They're gonna fall, and they did eventually today."
Gregorich's faith helped her lead her club with 16 points, while Armstrong and sophomore classmate Ashley Hermanson led all scorers with 17 apiece.
The Railroaders used suffocating full-court pressure to continue hacking away at the disadvantage, which had nearly finally vanished when Aimee Reyzer hit one of two free throws to put her club down just 45-44 with 1:09 to play.
Sensing her team's plight, Armstrong leapt on an opportunity when a ball was poked free from Emily Rufenacht's grip in the left corner on the next possession. The ball found its way to Armstrong's hands, and her feet were in her favorite spot, right near the top of the key once again.
"We all wanted this and I could tell the team was getting down and needed a big play," Armstrong said.
She obliged by splashing her second triple.
"Jamie's got the green light to shoot that any time, she's a great 3-point shooter," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said. "In hindsight, maybe we say we shouldn't have taken it, but I'm not going to argue now."
"She's just an amazing player," Rufenacht said. "She can do it inside and out. We've just gotta get it to her."
A Kyleigh Sellnow free throw made the lead 49-44 before a Monica Rassmussen deuce cut it to three with just 3.3 seconds left.
With the game seemingly in hand, Monroe watched its inbounds pass skip off Rufenacht's fingertips and out of bounds as she was blanketed, yet again, from behind.
Altoona coach Scott Harmon drew up a play for his captain with two ticks left.
Gregorich leaned inside Calyn Bidlingmaier's stance and got off an attempt, drawing some contact from Monroe's senior in the process.
Monroe's five players stood, some praying, some with hands over their mouths in anticipation, as the officials convened and agreed to award just two free throws, as Gregorich's left foot had snuck inside the arc.
The senior hit her first throw and deliberately missed the second with just two tenths of a second left, but a flailing Hanson couldn't tip the rebound over the cylinder.
"We were feeling pretty good in the third with that 19-point lead, but we knew they weren't going to let up," Keen said. "Right now a win's a win and we live to play another game and play for a ball."
Monroe sprinted out to a 12-1 lead through the first seven minutes of the ballgame and even led 35-16 after the first of two Jamie Armstrong 3s with 5:18 to play in the third before the Railroaders finally got on track.
After nearly two-and-a-half quarters of uncharacteristic stone-cold shooting, Altoona's 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore Kate Hanson answered a 3-point bomb by Armstrong with a trey of her own from just to the right of the circle.
After Railroaders junior Brittany Gregorich, who finished 5-for-20 from the field, finally cut cord with her only 3-pointer from the right angle, her sister Tiffany, a senior captain, followed suit off a reload to cut the deficit to 10 at 35-25 with a minute left in the third.
"We just kept shooting, that's all you can do," Tiffany Gregorich said. "If you don't take the shot, you'll never know. They're gonna fall, and they did eventually today."
Gregorich's faith helped her lead her club with 16 points, while Armstrong and sophomore classmate Ashley Hermanson led all scorers with 17 apiece.
The Railroaders used suffocating full-court pressure to continue hacking away at the disadvantage, which had nearly finally vanished when Aimee Reyzer hit one of two free throws to put her club down just 45-44 with 1:09 to play.
Sensing her team's plight, Armstrong leapt on an opportunity when a ball was poked free from Emily Rufenacht's grip in the left corner on the next possession. The ball found its way to Armstrong's hands, and her feet were in her favorite spot, right near the top of the key once again.
"We all wanted this and I could tell the team was getting down and needed a big play," Armstrong said.
She obliged by splashing her second triple.
"Jamie's got the green light to shoot that any time, she's a great 3-point shooter," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said. "In hindsight, maybe we say we shouldn't have taken it, but I'm not going to argue now."
"She's just an amazing player," Rufenacht said. "She can do it inside and out. We've just gotta get it to her."
A Kyleigh Sellnow free throw made the lead 49-44 before a Monica Rassmussen deuce cut it to three with just 3.3 seconds left.
With the game seemingly in hand, Monroe watched its inbounds pass skip off Rufenacht's fingertips and out of bounds as she was blanketed, yet again, from behind.
Altoona coach Scott Harmon drew up a play for his captain with two ticks left.
Gregorich leaned inside Calyn Bidlingmaier's stance and got off an attempt, drawing some contact from Monroe's senior in the process.
Monroe's five players stood, some praying, some with hands over their mouths in anticipation, as the officials convened and agreed to award just two free throws, as Gregorich's left foot had snuck inside the arc.
The senior hit her first throw and deliberately missed the second with just two tenths of a second left, but a flailing Hanson couldn't tip the rebound over the cylinder.
"We were feeling pretty good in the third with that 19-point lead, but we knew they weren't going to let up," Keen said. "Right now a win's a win and we live to play another game and play for a ball."